Sidekick
by hp1piececraziness
Summary: Complementary collection of oneshots, headcanons, and drabbles for Guardian. Mostly due to my muse being stupid. And me being sleep deprived for reasons. [Blink 29: This isn't going to work, you understand?]
1. Honey, These Four Will Get You

**My muse decided to be an ass, so I'm stuck with plotbunnies that have nothing to do with my other stories. Instead, I decided to work on a complementary collection of oneshots for Guardian. This is the collection. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Just possibly the stupidity involved with writing this series.**

* * *

"So who's with me?"

The four stared at the enthusiastically shouting young man. He was always shouting so that wasn't why they stared.

"You want us," the dark haired woman gestured to the assembled group, "to go looking for others like us, and build a _castle_ as a_ school_."

"Yup!"

Salazar glared at his cup of alcohol. "Godric, how do you intend to find all these potential students in the first place?"

Without missing a beat, Godric answered, "We can use Ichigo."

Said orange head nearly spat out his drink. "What makes you think I'm going to do that?"

"You did find us after all," Rowena happily supplied.

Helga smiled. "Ichigo, it shouldn't be too hard for you. Besides, we already know a few others that can help us. It's not like you are doing everything."

Ichigo glared. "I'm still saying no. There is no way you can rope me into joining you in this insanity."

They just smirked.

* * *

**This is probably going to be updated a lot because I have a lot of stuff that is part of this universe, but can't be fit into the story.**

**Until next time,**

**~dorandsugar**


	2. Look, We're All Just One Family

**Guys, I'm on a roll. This is way more fun than Guardian right now.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Do we seriously have to keep doing this?**

* * *

"I hate you guys."

Rowena didn't even look up from her work. "No you don't Ichigo, you know you love us."

"And yet, I'm starting to question my intelligence in staying with you four for even more time."

She sighed. The man was still miffed about his current relationship with the four of them. He wasn't the teacher anymore and wanted to move on like he had for decades. The witches and wizards didn't let him. Now he was sulking.

"Look at it this way," she finally put her quill down, "if you stay with the school, it is possible you can solve your _problems_. It shouldn't be too hard; after all there will be many intelligent minds in one place. "

Ichigo stared at the woman, who despite appearances, was years younger than Ichigo. She and the others were absolute about keeping Ichigo around. Why didn't they understand that soon age and death would claim them and that it would be much better for him to move on before that happened? Why.

"I'm still not happy."

Sighing again, an action that Rowena was starting to do far too much for her liking, she murmured, "I wasn't expecting you to be happy."

* * *

**Pfft, for some reason I really want to get to angst stuff soon...**

**Until next time,**

**~dorandsugar**


	3. String and Parchment

**I personally always found it odd that Hermione never communicated with her parents. During her Hogwarts years and afterwards, we rarely see her parents. She's a nice girl overall – no twelve year old should be that casual about spying on other students and making potions against the rules, though – and when we do briefly see her parents, they seem like nice people. So her independence from her parents, especially during the early years, is rather strange to me.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Just random plotbunnies that often rabid.**

* * *

Hermione wrote letters very often, Harry noticed. She went through lots of parchment and string from those letters. She often had to go to the various supply cabinets for more string. Every week, she sent letters using the school's owls. Sometimes even more often.

Harry asked about the letters once. She smiled and said they were letters home, to her parents. No siblings or muggle friends though.

Ron also wrote letters home every now and then as well. His older siblings wrote more often though. He mostly kept in touch with home through his siblings.

Harry didn't get letters. Nor did he send them. He had no one to talk to.

He wondered what it was like, to have someone outside of Hogwarts that cared about you. He couldn't imagine it. It must be nice though, he reasoned.

* * *

**Blub. **

**Salut!**

**~dorandsugar**


	4. Pardon Us, the Phone Broke

**Guardian and I had a bit of a fall out. I like to think that this collection is a bit like Guardian's less annoying cousin. (But don't worry, I'm probably going to force myself to update Guardian before the end of the year.)**

**This one is set at more modern times, but before Bleach's main story line starts...**

**Disclaimer: I own NOTHING. blub.**

* * *

"Professor Kurosaki, why did my phone break?"

He looked down at the distraught child. Seeing the smartphone he tsked and took the device to examine it. As expected, it hadn't been adapted to the magic saturated environment of Hogwarts.

Sighing, he told the first-year, "Let me fix this. I'll get it back to you in about a day. Is that good?"

"You can fix it!"

"Of course I can. Didn't I just say that? Now run along, don't you have classes?"

The boy nodded and scurried away.

Ichigo sighed. "These muggleborns keep forgetting to bring their electronics to the shop in Diagon Alley."

Might as well bring it to the lab to fix it up.

* * *

**I honestly would be this kid XD**

**Salut,**

**~dorandsugar**


	5. Key Word, Almost

**You see, the thing is, I care a LOT more about characters and their relationships and their humanness more than plot. I'm serious.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. If I did, I would have a much better drawing tablet because I would have the money for that kind of stuff.**

* * *

Sometime, like now as he stared at the bland ceiling above him, Harry was almost jealous of Ron. Ron had a family, a big family, and _parents_. Harry had the Dursleys.

Rolling over to his side, facing the open window and the clear night sky, Harry frowned. It wasn't right to be jealous of his first true friend. That's why Harry told himself that he was only _almost_ jealous every summer.

Not that Harry's summers were absolutely horrible. He did send letters when he could. Sometimes if he was extremely lucky, he would call. After all, electronics only malfunctioned in highly saturated environments like Hogwarts and Hogsmeade. Even some of the Ministry of Magic were able to use limited amounts of electronics. (They had to keep a limit on magic due to their close proximity to Muggle London.)

But on nights like these, in the early hours, kept awake by dark thoughts and memories – for Merlin's sake, he's seen two people die before his eyes already, not counting his parents – Harry was almost jealous.

Almost.

* * *

**Who are you kidding Harry. Who do you think you are kidding. Kid, you are an angsty teenager. Who do you think you are kidding.**

**Salut,**

**~dorandsugar**


	6. A Pause and A Senseless Shout Fest

**I don't think I should be allowed to enjoy this as much as I do.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Shoo.**

* * *

For once no one was arguing. No one was even talking.

No, instead, everyone sat – tense – around the staff table, glaring burning holes into the giant stack of paperwork sitting innocently on the polished wood surface.

It was that time of year again.

Assigning schedules.

Every year, the teaching staff had to gather and arrange the student schedules. This included decided which teacher would have to suffer from the busiest schedule. Every year it turned into a sort of contest and grudge match.

Although at some point of time it had turning into the silent game. And no one wanted to be the first loser.

Granted, it was amazing a certain Eien Shirosaki hadn't cracked yet.

"Fuck this; let's just get this over with."

Ichigo spoke too soon.

Minerva sighed.

"Alright, let's."

However, this author is extremely incapable of describing the grudged, "controlled" chaos that followed.

Although….

Ichigo slumped back into his seat. Just his luck, this year he had a more crowded class schedule. Even then, he didn't envy Horus' arrangements.

"So, who's going to get Eien down? I'm certainly not going to ungag him."

"MMFFT! :X"

* * *

Harry sighed and slammed his head onto the table. Hermione and Ron looked over, then returned to their homework.

"Hey, is it just me, or do we have a lot less Potions homework?"

"…Does it matter? The other classes are even crazier this year. And we thought last year was bad."

* * *

**Hey, teachers also have it bad. They have to grade all that stuff.**

** hates me. It won't let me complete the emoticon like I want to.**

**Salut!**

**~dorandsugar**


	7. I Was Forced - Kind of - To Do It

**Amassing 500 drabbles doesn't seem so impossible now.**

**This is set between the main timeline of HP and the epilogue. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Zip, nada.**

* * *

"Hm, Ichigo, are you religious?"

Ichigo raised an eyebrow at the girl sitting across the desk from him. Hermione continued sipping her drink, fiddling with the paper in front of her.

"Religious? Do I look religious to you?"

"Not really, but attending a school for magic, witches, and wizards normally makes anyone religious start questioning themselves and their religion a bit and it gets hard to know. So, are you religious?"

He snorted a bit, gazing into his cup of tea.

"Yeah, a bit. But," he looked back up at the woman in her early twenties, "it wasn't exactly by choice."

"Not by choice?"

"Yeah, it was convert or die. By really stupid ways of execution. Then again, I've seen truly ridiculous execution methods before. Regardless, it was convert or die. And I didn't want to die."

Hermione grinned. "When was this."

"Oh way back. Way, way back, several centuries ago in fact. Religion was huge back then you know. Everyone had read the Bible and memorized at least part of it back then. I was no exception.

"Anyways, let's get back to the original topic. Are you or are you not going to take my offer?"

* * *

**Oh Hermione, please stop changing the subject.**

**Salut!**

**~dorandsugar**

**[EDIT] smacks head. I just realized how stupid that one sentence Ichigo said about everyone reading the Bible was. Back then barely anyone could read the Bible. At least, not until it got translated against the rules. And I learned about this stuff just two months ago.**


	8. Only a Little Bit Different

**I should stop watching these youtube videos.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Not even this OC**

* * *

He decided that the reason he even paid attention to her in the first place had to do with how damn similar she looked to Rukia. So similar, it was frustrating.

And so different at the same time.

She looked like Rukia. There were moments that she acted and talked almost just about the same way Rukia acted and talked. But they laughed differently. They cried differently. She had a younger sister. She didn't stomp on his feet as much. She drew slightly better. Slightly.

She wasn't Rukia.

And yet, Ichigo still clung to her, trying to not let her go, breaking nearly every rule he set out for himself years and decades ago, when the founders died and he cried and cried.

She convinced him to teach the kids how to take care of themselves in the rough society. People were still out to kill their kind. It was a good idea.

She grew sick. Just about everyone in Europe was sick. Horribly sick.

She died with her younger sister at night, Ichigo trying so hard to save the two girls that reminded himself so much of what he lost.

Ichigo had to dig so many damn graves during those years. The school nearly had to close down. He nearly died himself. But having a hollow living in your soul gave you certain immunities it seemed.

He still cried at her gravestone, kneeling, collapsed, on the freshly turned soil, surrounded by filled graves of the sick.

Perhaps it was then when he really started hating the month October.

* * *

**It should be obvious who this person is based on**

**salut**

**~dorandsugar**


	9. More Shouting

**This one was supposed to be about something else entirely. But this came out instead.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

* * *

Severus was arguing with Sirius. Again. Actually, had they even stopped arguing for the past hour? Now that Ichigo thought about it, probably not. Cradling his chin with the palm of his left hand, he stared at the wall, disinterested. There were better ways for Ichigo to spend his precious time outside of Hogwarts.

Distantly, he could hear the sounds of shouting, and feel the angry pressure of teenage rage. He regarded it numbly, still tapping the eraser of the pencil in his right hand on the table to a stead, bored rhythm. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.

Alastor was starting to raise his voice as well.

So did the boy's voice in the background.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Minerva was trying to bring order back to the meeting.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Tap.

Ta-

SNAP.

Wood shrapnel flew in the air. Ichigo's thumb took most of the damage. Slivers hit the arguing men in the face. Several Order members stared at Ichigo, who was frowning now, partly from the wounds, partly from the arguing that had been going on just a moment before.

Someone was still shouting upstairs.

Minerva took advantage of the momentary lapse in conversation to steer the topic back to more important matters, not whatever Severus and Sirius were having a row about.

Ichigo sighed. Just another Order meeting. He started pulling out splinters.

* * *

**I don't know. I'm just very tired from school, then enduring a bus ride home that was over an hour long, and the AC wasn't working. Instead it was dripping water on me.**

**Shrugs**

**Salut!**

**~dorandsugar**


	10. Forecast for Tonight: Nightmares

**I'm not completely certain where this come from.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

* * *

It started when Kurosaki Ichigo was seven, Misaki noticed. What happened would be something like this:

Late at night, when thunderstorms roared and crackled, and the children were all supposed to be asleep, there would be a strangled cry from her only son's room. A few minutes later, he's bare feet raced down the hallway and burst into his parent's room. Sometimes they were awake, sometimes they weren't. Regardless, he would jump into their bed, sobbing his eyes out. By now the parents were definitely awake. They would try to comfort him, trying to calm him down enough to understand what got him so shaken.

It wasn't that he was scared of thunderstorms. It was nightmares. Horrible nightmares that had Misaki and Isshin very concerned for their little boy.

Because little boys weren't supposed to have nightmares about battlefields and comrades, people Ichigo had never even met before, ripped apart by masked, heartless monsters and madmen and flashes of purple.

It was terrifying for all three of them. The monsters mostly matched the appearance of Hollows, but some of the monsters in Ichigo's dreams didn't make sense. For one, there weren't supposed to be partially masked, humanoid Hollows running around. Because those sounded like arrancar. And Misaki could swear up and down that there definitely hadn't been any arrancar anywhere near Karakura, ever.

The madman in Ichigo's nightmares concerned Isshin. There was one description, only mentioned once, that reminded Isshin a lot of the fifth captain of the Gotei 13, Aizen Sousuke. That didn't make sense.

One day, when Ichigo and the girls were in school, the two visited Urahara Kisuke. After they explained the situation, Urahara had sobered and stared into his tea. He didn't speak for several minutes. Finally, he opened his mouth to speak, but a pop and a loud crash and a shouting boy's voice interrupted him. There were more crashes and now a man's voice was apologizing and telling someone that-for-god's-sake-stop-swinging-that-bloody-bat- all-over-the-place-I'm-not-fixing-what-you-break-o h-screw-this, then silence.

The Kurosaki parents regarded the door to the back rooms with raised eyebrows. A white fan covered most of Urahara's face as he turned to also look at the opening.

Another loud pop.

"Well, this is very convenient…I was about to say that I might have an idea, and I just remembered something. There's someone I know that might be able to help your son. I'll contact him, and he can probably fix the situation soon."

"Who is this person?"

"He just arrived. Now if you would excuse me, I need to catch me before he runs off again to Kami knows where he lives."

Misaki nodded and stood up. Isshin regarded Urahara's retreating back for longer, then sighed and followed his wife. He trusted Urahara could help them, it wouldn't be the first time he helped the couple.

They never saw who exactly the mystery man was. But the next time a thunderstorm rolled through the town at night, Ichigo slept soundly with no nightmares.

Well, the afore mentioned sentence isn't exactly correct. Not the nightmares, the man. Isshin saw him twelve years later on a fateful spring evening for just a few minutes. Not that he knew this was the man that helped save his son. His son's absences were more at the front of his mind.

But we're getting ahead of ourselves.

* * *

**Ichigo's about eight, nine-ish when his parents go to Urahara. By then certain parties were aware of each other.**

**I think I need to stop writing about Ichigo for a bit.**

**Au revoir**

**~dorandsugar**


	11. Bigger Than the Great War

**I have a thing for WWII, okay?**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

* * *

They just kept getting bigger and bigger didn't they, these wars.

Europe was consumed. Africa and Asia followed. The Americas fell in too.

The world was on fire.

Ichigo turned another page, the thin sheets of a Muggle newspaper that he had snatched back in the city about a week ago when he passed through crinkled, the black print spelling out tales and heartbreak.

Wizards never went this far with their destruction. They had restrictions, secrets to keep, and Muggle sheep to keep innocent. Besides, wizards, even though they had the means, didn't go throwing explosion of burning light and hot death over and over again from the swollen sky when they fought. Wizards were more personal. And more clean.

The children at the school – what few that remained that was, their abilities didn't protect them from ash and rubble – were scared of Ichigo. The younger ones looked at this face and his hair, and knew he was different, not from here. The older ones knew the location better.

Foreigner.

Foreigners couldn't be trusted.

Didn't matter that he had been in this country for centuries.

Foreigner.

The Germans were angry. And tired.

The newspaper page flipped again.

The British spat and clawed away. France rumbled.

Russia was red, red from blood, red from Communism.

Japan swooped and raged.

China screamed and fought.

The Americans were busy in a war they hadn't wanted in the beginning, but plunged in with rage and vengeance.

He turned the page again.

The school might have to accept some other children from devastated parents, wanting to shield and protect their young.

There were already a few children just starting to taste the fear of "orphan."

Wizards didn't know what to do.

Some had been drafted into the armies. Their worlds had shattered and dripped black and red and white.

They screamed.

Ichigo closed the newspaper, finished.

Screams.

Just scream.

Gazing at the lake, Ichigo felt numbness pool through his fingers and his throat.

They just kept getting bigger and bigger didn't they, these wars.

* * *

**I just can't stay away from dark stuff can I...**

**Ciao**

**~dorandsugar**


	12. Just a Little Bit Worried

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

* * *

Gazing at the musky cloth of the tent's roof, Harry wondered how Ginny was faring. The Death Eaters had Hogwarts now. While Harry didn't know what it would be like in there right now, he had a fairly good idea.

Although there was Ichigo Kurosaki and Eien Shirosaki to remember. They had to protect the school and the students from threats. Surely they wouldn't let anything horrible happen to the others, to Ginny.

He turn to his side, blinking in the dark.

It didn't stop him from worrying.

* * *

**Shrugs.**

**Ciao**

**~dorandsugar**


	13. That's a Bit Petty

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything**

* * *

He frowned at the purple with slight distaste. It was petty, he knew it well.

This was a different type of purple, a less deadly one.

Not the purple that he had locked away deep in his soul, under glass and metal and concrete and despair and shattered metal, a heavy burden and duty.

Still, it was purple, and purple reminded of when he was still human and everyone from then, a list of old names.

"No, I think I prefer the red candies."

"Well, whatever suits you."

* * *

**IDK. I just have a whole bunch of theories that don't really transition well into the main story right now.**

**Ciao**

**~dorandsugar**


	14. Good Luck Charm

**Like I said, I have theories.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything**

* * *

"So you're saying that this cloak will make us invisible."

"Yup! Family heirloom. Mother let be bring it as long as I was careful with it. Nifty isn't it?"

Remus looked interested, but couldn't figure out how they would use it. Unless you wanted to run from Peeves or use it to hide him every month, he didn't know what to do with it.

And yet James and Sirius glanced at each other and grinned, clearly thinking of something in common, despite having met for the first time several days ago. They were fast friends, both coming from wealthy pureblood families and a malicious streak a mile long. Probably several miles long actually.

"Are you thinking what I'm think?"

"I think I am. What are you thinking?"

Peter watched with mild confusion and glanced at Remus in hope that he knew what the two were blathering on about. Remus just shrugged.

"Let's go explore the castle tonight."

Oh dear.

* * *

They actually didn't run into any teachers like Remus thought they would. Which was a good thing. While the cloak was clearly hemmed and fitted for a rather tall man and still have lots of billowing room, the four had to cram together very tightly and hope no one heard them or saw their feet.

After wandering about for about an hour, the eleven year olds ceded that it was enough for a night and time to go to bed.

They already found one hidden staircase.

* * *

Every night they wandered for about an hour. They still didn't run into many teachers, and normally had a decent period of time to scurry away before a teacher turned a corner. Tiring of shuffling in very close quarters, the boys decided it would be okay the cloak in their dorms.

Within ten minutes of exiting the empty common room, Ichigo was standing before them, frowning.

"I know it's Friday, but why the hell are you boys wandering around when it's nearly midnight."

Oh dear.

"Get back to bed now."

Whoops.

* * *

James thought it was a fluke.

On Sunday night, he and Sirius sneaked out again. Once again, they left James' invisibility cloak behind.

Ichigo appeared again, frowning more.

Remus was reading a book when they got herded into the dorms and raised an eyebrow.

* * *

By the seventh time Ichigo had to send the pair of Gryffindor boys back to their tower, he was starting to get frustrated.

"For god's sake, stay in here when it's past curfew!"

He exited exasperated.

The four boys looked at each other.

"I think you guys should use the cloak next time you want to explore."

* * *

Strange thing was, every time James left the cloak behind, Ichigo was waiting, annoyed. But they never ran into him when they had their cloak. Sure, there were some near misses, events that became more and more common as they grew taller, and it grew harder to hide their feet.

They would laugh about it sometimes.

"Your cloaks' the real deal, James. Why I bet you can even hide from Mr. Evil-Ringleader with that cloak!"

"Hmph. Yeah."

* * *

**This ties in with what Ichigo said in that one part in chapter seven.**

**Ciao**

**~dorandsugar**


	15. It's What?

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything...**

* * *

"I'm going to the library."

"Again?"

"Is there an issue Ron?"

"No, but we _always_ go to the library."

Hermione wiped around to stare up at Ron's bored face. "Well what do you expect me to do, go on the Internet?"

Harry snorted and Ron blinked. "Internet? What's that?"

"Nothing important," Harry answered, "just some muggle thing."

"What?"

"Come on, Hermione's leaving us behind."

* * *

**Yes, they do have Internet back then. I don't quite remember how much was available for the public in the 90's, but it was quite a lot. Definitely not as much as today though. Definitely.**

**Think of it this way, the first social networks were being made around then. No Facebook, no Twitter, no FanFiction, no Youtube, maybe crappy Google...come to think of it though, they did have email...**

**See y'all**

**~dorandsugar**


	16. WHAAAAAAAAAAT

**The space bar on my new laptop is evil. Half the time it doesn't register.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Except my evil laptop.**

* * *

Honestly, the only reason Ichigo still remembered any Japanese at all was because Zangetsu only spoke in Japanese. Eien also spoke their native language from time to time, mostly to curse. Regardless, Ichigo's skills were growing choppier by the year. More than once, Zangetsu had to help him out with their conversations.

Normally, this deterioration wouldn't be a problem. For centuries it hasn't been a problem. The present wasn't normally.

Staring at the black swallowtail butterfly sitting on his outstretched finger, Ichigo blinked, then snapped his head upwards towards the rafters of the hall.

No.

No way.

Impossible.

They checked.

But.

How.

What.

What.

_What._

_WHAT._

_**WHAT.**_

A boy with white hair, black shihakusho, and white haori, a sword slung over his back, gazed back.

_**WHAT.**_

Oh man, if that was who he thought it was, he better remember his Japanese.

* * *

**There are reasons and explanations. And this was planned.**

**Salut.**

**~dorandsugar**


	17. Introductions

**I'm uploading from school because I can.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. And it was a reviewer from Guardian who gave the idea for this encounter.**

* * *

He stared at the boy before him. Well, not really a boy, but right now, appearances were all that mattered.

Upon discovering the shinigami sitting on the ceiling, Ichigo had turned around andset off back to his room, letting the captain trail him. Eien chattered inside his mind.

"How is this possible? We had tried everything to go back, this should be impossible? Unless he's not real. Bu why the hell should this not be possible? Are you listening to me Ichigo?"

Ichigo tuned him out with expert precision that came with centuries of practice. Although, granted, all his points were perfectly valid and important to figure out.

Reaching his room, Ichigo entered, but left the door open for the captain to use. After the boy entered as well, Ichigo regarded him with a closed off expression.

"Who are you?"

"Isn't it more polite to introduce yourself first?"

Ichigo snorted. "This is Scotland. I've been living here for a long time, it's habit here to ask others to introduce themselves first. So I'll ask again; who are you?"

"I am Hitsuguya Toshiro. And you?"

"Ichigo Kurosaki. Although for you it would be Kurosaki Ichigo wouldn't it?"

* * *

**This will be continued sometime later, IDK yet.**

**Ciao**

**~dorandsugar**


	18. Countdown From 24

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

* * *

Ichigo shivered and coughed, fever raging through his body. Pain flared with each heaving breath. He needed to get back to Hogwarts soon. It's been over a day now. The first task would be to break out and apparate away somehow. But damn, escaping has been troublesomely difficult to achieve. Then again, he did teach these wizards himself. How desperate must the enemy be to spend so much to snatch these aurors and other powerful wizards into their control. To take down one of them must have cost many men, let along all of these former students of Ichigo.

At first they had chained Ichigo up and left him to sit there with a guard outside his room. They caught and drugged him when he was only a few feet away from the anti-apparation shields and wards. The second time he barely made it past the first set of guards before being besieged by the controlled wizards. How they ever fell under the spell, Ichigo didn't know. None of the current controlling spells should be this powerful. A new technique perhaps?

The third time he broke out of the bonds and room, he was dodging a punch, and fell. The pain, while numb earlier, flooded in with vengeance. He got dragged back, coughing and shaking.

Oh god, this was going to hurt so much. It would be amazing if he was even could walk after what he was about to do.

He reached into his soul, and dragged out Eien.

* * *

He remained bedridden for two and half weeks before being able to stand again.

Note to self: don't go somewhere without several escape plans first.

* * *

**Pfft.**

**~dorandsugar**


	19. In a Different World

**This is an AU to the normal Guardian-verse.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

* * *

He was only in his early twenties when it happened. Only. Others his age spent their times cramming for their professor's next test, or partying in their dorms. Having fun. Living the college life. Not fighting for their lives against supernatural forces, and having to lay down those lives for a war to progress.

Isshin had hoped that his children would not become involved with the afterlife. Then they grew, and the signs showed. After the first signals, Isshin and Masaki hoped that they could keep under the radar of other supernatural forces. It didn't last for long.

First it was when a certain shinigami from the thirteenth squad slipped through the bedroom wall of their son.

Ichigo.

Everything snowballed from first contact. The hill down was such a steep hill. A steep, never-ending hill to doom. And death.

Death of nearly everyone.

It wasn't fair, Isshin thought to himself, standing on a battlefield, the battle just over. It wasn't fair that an old soul like his got to live.

But not the lives of the children.

Fathers weren't supposed to dig the graves of their children. Weren't supposed to left behind, left with the aftermath of a fight gone wrong on all sides, left with a crumbled building long ago called home, left with a fraying string called hope and happiness.

If it was any consolation, it seemed that Ichigo remembered that one conversation on a wet afternoon. While he wasn't able to complete all of Isshin's hopes and wishes, he did die with a smile.

The only sound in for miles around was the shuffling of tired feet, and tearful eyes.

Urahara looked so beaten, not even bothering to muster up a smile. Instead, he busied himself with some project, Yoruichi and Tessai helping where they could. Shinji sat somewhere, slumped and unblinking. Isshin wasn't much better if he was to be honest with himself.

They needed a restart button, a way to stop everything, time paradoxes be damned.

Shinji volunteered to be a test subject.

* * *

**What happened in this chapter is very important for later chapters in the normal Guardian-verse. Last universe jumping, I promise. Unless something else comes to mind and absolutely needs a different universe to go with it.**

**Until next time,**

**~dorandsugar**


	20. It Moves Funny

**Inspiration came while writing a scene in Guardian.**

* * *

Despite living in a wizard house with many siblings, Ron was easy to bore as a child. Mr. Weasley learned early on that leaving his youngest son with the twins would be a bad idea. The other children were older and starting to go to Hogwarts. Ginny was still a young girl, and she was also easy to bore.

It was often that the Weasley adults would run out of games to let their children entertain themselves with. As such, it was with great relief when Ron took to chess like a duck to water.

Ron, despite common assumptions, was a genius at chess. He holed up in his room often, away from most of the chaos of the rest of the house, and battle it out between right hands and left hands.

At least he didn't ease his boredom the ways the twins did.

* * *

**Pft.**

**~dorandsugar**


	21. A Giant Among Midgets

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

* * *

"You know what always got on my nerves, years and years ago?'

"How should I know, I wasn't around in what you might call years and years ago."

"How bloody short everyone was."

James looked up Ichigo who sat on the windowsill, looking over the lake. He blinked. "What?"

Ichigo didn't even turn around. "The average height of people used to be many centimeters short than today. And I mean many centimeters shorter. It was like being a giant with all those other humans. You ever seen Hagrid? It was like that for me."

"Hagrid?" James asked. "You mean the gamekeeper? The one from my dad's time too?"

"That one."

Ichigo was still unaware of what James was writing on the sheet of paper, a note for his friends. Actually, it was an idea for future pranks. Why not.

"Must have felt weird."

"You have no idea how many times I needed to hide in really weird ways, or how many door frames I smacked my forehead against."

"Hm."

…

"James?"

"Yes?"

"What are you doing?"

"Uh."

Ichigo turn around, swinging his feet back in. He saw the paper and writing. Looked up and saw James starting to pale.

"James."

"It's nothing sir!"

"Of course it's something, you're too much like your grandfather and your uncles for it to be nothing."

Uh oh.

* * *

**Yeah, this James is Harry's kid James.**

**Boop,**

**~dorandsugar**


	22. Results of All-nighters

**I don't know. Update spree before November starts.**

* * *

"A-a, a cat." He sneezed loudly, owlishly staring at the black cat in front of him. "What –!" Another sneeze interrupted him. "Ah."

The cat kept licking its paws, barely looking at the shivering person above it.

Winter was fast approaching the small village and it would be of great inconvenience if he got a cold. Turning around, the small boy hurried out of the bushes, shifting under his thin fall clothing. Dinner would be ready soon and mother would scold him if he was late.

The cat also left.

The boy ran back to his home, flung the door open and hurried to the warmth of the fire. His sister noted his entrance and alerted their mother. Dinner was ready.

A glass of water and some potatoes later, the boy, he was a small boy, piped up, "Wouldn't it be cool if you could turn into an animal?"

The mother smiled, he was young, but told him, "No, we can't."

Then, years later, wizards and witches finally started laying down the basics of animagus transformations. Not the boy and his family would know, they were Muggles.

* * *

**See you before the year ends,**

**~dorandsugar**


	23. Don't Forget to Clean up When Done

**I wrote this a while ago, okay?**

* * *

The telltale fumes of failed potions seeped out from under the closed wooden door, he noticed. Severus was probably at it again. He reckoned that the school would gladly pick him up as a teacher when the boy was older. For now though, the boy was still a boy, a student.

He knocked to let Severus know that he was entering, and then opened the door, fanning the smoke from his face.

"Hello."

"Yes. Hello. Are you going to go down for dinner? You weren't there for lunch or breakfast. Aren't you hungry?"

Severus barely even diverging his attention from the work table. "I'm working on my potions right now, and don't have time to clean up, eat, clean up again, and keep working."

"Whatever," he rolled his eyes. "I'm going to get that apple tart pie I've been eyeing before someone else can. That would be troublesome."

"Hmphf. And please shut the doors when you leave."

He left and shut the door as requested. There was little you could do to make him step into that room ever again, not with all those smells permeating the area. It's going to stink for sometime.

* * *

**I think I forgot the disclaimer somewhere. Oh well, here it is, I don't own anything.**

**Later,**

**~dorandsugar**


	24. Next Step, We Need Students

**When I had sat down, I had intended to write about something completely different. So much for that.**

* * *

A humming joy seemed to buzz through his veins, his fingertips, down his spine, and around and around him light head.

Proud and tall, on so different, so new, from its brother and sister castles, Hogwarts stood tall, finally finished, glass glittering in the sunlight, stones glistened. It took years, there were accidents, but oh god, it's done.

Tom smiled next to Ichigo. "Isn't it so pretty."

"Yes."

The interlaced magic strummed and swept down the grass with the wind. Godric was probably laughing with the others somewhere, partying with the other builders, alcohol flowing freely.

It was a wonderful feeling and Ichigo wanted to laugh.

* * *

**Pfft,**

**~dorandsugar**

**P.S. I forgot this again, I don't own anything.**


	25. All in the Spirit

**Last of the stupid stuff.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything except my stupidity.**

* * *

"…You, you want me to…"

"Please? It's Halloween."

"But…"

"Please?" Oh bloody hell, the puppy eyes are out. How can he say no.

"Rachael, I don't really wear costumes…" Oh great, now the girl was sad. Ichigo started rubbing the back of his neck. How could he deal with this.

"But…"

He glanced at the bundle of cloth in the Ravenclaw's hands. "I guess I can wear it, just for tonight."

Rachael, beamed. "Alright Ichigo! See you at the feast, my friends are all dressing up."

She ran off, leaving an awkward Ichigo standing in the middle of the hallway with a costume he would be wearing in front of the school that night. Curses to puppy eyes. He sighed. Might as well get this over with.

At least Eien will have a great laugh.

He wondered what the fifth year got him this time.

* * *

Standing before the mirror, Ichigo had to admit that Rachael was good at tailoring costumes. The black cloth were stiched into folds and creases, stitch work bordering the edges of the outfit. How in the world did she find the time to make this.

God this was weird.

* * *

**The last line was all that went through my mind when I wrote that on the bus. I blame the lack of sleep.**

**Oh yeah, before I forget to mention this, I'm not going to be working on fanfics during November. November=NaNoWriMo and that would be my biggest writing project I have ever done.**

**So see you all in December (hopefully),**

**~dorandsugar**


	26. The Rain, I Hate it You Know

**Part two of A Different World.**

**The dialog between Ichigo and Eien and a confused Shinji ran away from me. Welp.**

**Disclaimer: Yeah, no. **

* * *

Shinji is tired and no one wants to talk. Well that is okay; he didn't want to talk either. The world is so empty now, every sigh ached, and each day swam by in an unimportant daze. Urahara finished his latest project. Shinji didn't know what it was. He can't bring himself to care. Isshin rarely smiles. Why should he, he's lost his world, then his family, then his reality. His everything. Gone, ashes in a harsh winter wind.

"So this new product." Yeah, what about it. "It might not work perfectly," wonderful vote of confidence there does it even work in the first place, "But it should get the job done." What job?

"One of us can go back in time and stop this mess the best they can." Woah, what. "You asked." Yeah, but… "The kido should all work out." Still… "What." One word, paradoxes. "Are you seriously worrying about paradoxes when the chance to kill certain bastards and save everyone is there? Besides, who says I have to build time machines just because everything was fucked up."

Well if you put it that way.

"Isshin?"

He shook his head. "As much as a wonderful prospect that is, I don't think I would be able to handle it. The kids would notice immediately."

Man's got a point.

"Shinji, will you speak up? I can barely hear you."

NOoooo.

"Well, since Isshin wouldn't do it, and Yoruichi, Tessai, and I need to maintain the machine…"

Huh. Yeah, I'll do it.

"You agreed rather easily."

Happens when all you really want to do nowadays is to turn a bastard into a bloody pulp hundreds of time over and over again, even if the dude is dead.

"Okay then."

* * *

Shinji doesn't quite remember what happens from there.

Just that, when Urahara said it might not work perfectly, he didn't think the ex-captain meant missing by many years and landing somewhere that was certainly _not_ Japan. It's been a day since he arrived here, and he didn't know where here was. Just that they didn't speak Japanese. He didn't even think he was on Asian continent. Nope, pretty sure he wasn't.

WELP.

He sat on top of the building, frowning down into the different streets on each side. On his right, there was a regular civilian street. But on his left…The place was saturated in reiatsu, but it wasn't normal reiatsu. Last time he checked, pictures weren't able to move. And that there weren't creatures like the ones he saw moving about. Shinji laid back down, to look at the stormy clouds above. Looked like it was going to rain soon. Maybe he could find a café alcove to wait out the storm sometime soon.

The wind blew harshly, and a single droplet of rain splattered onto his cheek. Now would be a great time.

The odd street to his left had more places he could lean against and wait for the rain to pass. He didn't want to go inside any of the shops, he wouldn't know how to communicate, but there was one place that had umbrellas over tables. The fact that the shop sold ice cream was just a plus.

Flickering down, Shinji walked over as the rain came down harder. Within record time his cap as soaked through. Water ran down his hair into his shirt that he was well aware stuck out with the other people wandering the street. Seriously, cloaks? Whatever.

Sitting at the cold metal bench, Shinji watched the rain puddle and shoppers rush from shop to shop.

No one bothered him. The rain didn't seem to be letting up.

He hated how exposed he felt, hyperaware of every single person. He twitched at the loud voice of a child and the thumps of heavy suitcases on rough brick. The hiss of rain, the clamor and ringing bells, the moving posters, the rush of people, the –

Shinji didn't know when he fell asleep, exhausted.

* * *

Ichigo stood in the pouring rain, gazing at the blond man slumped asleep before him. Ichigo had instantly seen him, he stuck out like a sour thumb, asleep and with those clothing. Said clothing was soaked and London's cold rain wasn't going help. The man was going to get sick.

Shifting in his cloak, Ichigo reached out to shake the man awake. He didn't expect the man to instantly flinch awake and crash out of the bench just as Ichigo touched his arm.

Umm…

The two stared at each other.

The man licked his lips, and picked himself up, now utterly soaked.

"Ichigo?"

They both looked over at the approaching hollow carrying an umbrella. Eien scowled at the bristling man that Ichigo woken up.

"No way, dude, what the heck. Ichigo, was there a memo we missed?"

"Eien? What?"

Eien waved a hand at the still unidentified man. "First Toshiro and now _him_. Hey, can you even understand us?"

"Eien, what are you talking about?"

"Dude, speak Japanese. Try it."

Japanese. Ichigo groaned. No way, just _no way_.

"Ichigo?"

_No way_. "Yeah?" Ichigo asked in Japanese as Eien told him to.

"But you – "

"Can we get out of the rain, _NOW_? Ichigo, you know I hate the rain. We've finished our business here, how about skedaddling? 'Kay?"

"Eien shut up, uh, it's been ages –"

"Literally."

"Eien shut up. Ages since I've seen certain people. Something to do with living in Great Britain. Uh, you wouldn't be from Karakura right?"

"Great Britain?" the other man muttered. "Ichigo, yeah, don't you remember me? And what are you doing in Great Britain? Isn't it on the other side of the world from Karakura Town? What's Isshin thinking, having you wandering here – wait. Ichigo. Shouldn't you be…younger? By a lot?"

"Can we catch up _later_? I'm serious; if we don't get out of the rain soon I'm going to bloody lock you out of Hogwarts for over a day!"

Ichigo winced. "Eien don't."

"Screw this, you two are so slow! Hirako Shinji, Ichigo Kurosaki. Ichigo Kurosaki, Hirako Shinji. Done. _Now let's get out of the rain damn it_!"

Shinji…What happened to him? Ichigo blinked and frowned. "Um, want to come with us?"

"He is not coming with us!"

"Eien, for the love of god, _SHUT UP_."

Shinji nodded.

"Good, now hang on tight, this might feel very weird."

* * *

**Will this be continued? Probably. At some point of time. Shrug.**

**See you later,**

**~dorandsugar**


	27. Breakfast Before the Storm Hits

**Despite the fact that I should _really_ getting working on my NaNoWriMo today, I have the muse for this. Welp.**

**BTW, don't know if anyone noticed, and this is going to be important soon as I start writing more stuff in the Bleach timeline, Hogwart's Ichigo is referred to as Ichigo Kurosaki and Bleach Ichigo is Kurosaki Ichigo. Or I just differentiate them somehow somewhere nearby in the text.**

**Disclaimer: No, I don't own anything. If I did I would be making money and not writing fanfiction. **

* * *

Sitting there, under a new sky, a Japanese _Karakura_ sky, Ichigo just feels so happy and light. He hasn't felt this way in too long, the pains on a nearly destroyed castle restricted him from visiting. But now times were better, and the Wizards of the UK were picking up their lives again and Ichigo was free.

So he visited.

He hadn't been back in town since a rainy bloody July evening, and he can't say everything is just like how he remembers because he can't remember, but it's okay. Ichigo's also well aware of the cool, dawn wind playfully nipping his nose and ears. Fall was coming, then winter, and with it, another fight. The Winter War. It's been on his mind for a while now, but there's nothing to do until the boy goes to Soul Society and returns.

Ichigo wonders how Masaki would react if he dropped by to say hi and maybe have some tea. He also wonders if the other Ichigo, his younger self, remembers him between the nightmares and the Grand Fisher event. Probably. Maybe Ichigo could say hi to him as well.

Kurosaki Ichigo…he would be fifteen now right? Ichigo believed so. Rukia came this year. In fact she might even be here already…

Maybe Ichigo shouldn't visit.

Not that he was worried that Rukia might know about him already, she definitely did. After all, Ichigo caused a big disturbance in Soul Society with his power when they discovered him. No, it wasn't that.

Ichigo didn't want to be reminded of … best not to let that train of thought leave the station and go any further.

Eh, he missed Masaki. A lot. Maybe he would avoid a midget and a teenager while he was at it.

He left the river and started walking over the clinic.

Breakfast with the Kurosaki's it was.

* * *

**Yes, Masaki is alive. This is going to change things a lot huh.**

**~dorandsugar**

**P.S. Guys, I don't really know what to do with Guardian and Redone. I'm starting to really hate those stories unfortunately. I mean, for goodness sake, Guardian was supposed to be a story that set up the universe, not this full blown I-don't-even-know-what-I'm-doing-damn-it-younger-m e-why-did-you-back-me-into-this-corner thing. **


	28. Burn With Me (No, Don't)

**I've found that I write best when I write choppy stuff not in chronological order. Shrugs.**

**I still remember quite clearly how, one time at lunch last year, my best friend told me that if I kept up my poor treatment to my characters, she would have to take them into custody, and more importantly, away from me. This might have been what she meant. I don't know, I don't feel the emotions for my characters. I just write. Quite unfortunately she said. **

**Disclaimer: I don't any of this, just like how I apparently in the words of some of my friends, "don't have emotions or a soul."**

* * *

Ichigo squeezed his eyes hard, trying to squeeze out the images, the blood, the fire, the anger and pain, the tears, all of it. He didn't think he was succeeding. Soft terrified sobbing hitched from a girl and a boy as they and three other children clung horror-stricken to Ichigo. Just five children. They were all that Ichigo was able to save.

In the distance, the fire still raged. Raged like the frightened mortals that lashed out at the wizards and witches who lived in solitude in the forest. Away, tucked away, and _should have been, should have been _safe. Safe until the girl from the non-magical settlement – what did Godric like to call them, Muggles – stumbled upon the site of the village, secluded and thriving. Happy. Magical.

Humans. He used to be a human. Did he use to act like this? Before the war? During the war? Even now?

Helga sniffed.

Sighing deeply, Ichigo sunk down to his knees and held the children close to him. Why wasn't he able to save more? The "one who protects." Why did he keep failing? His mother, Rukia, Sado, his sisters, his father, Orihime, Uryu, the whole damn town, the shinigami, the whole _world and universe as it burned and crumbled, just him and his hollow and zanpakuto and the Hogyoku left to be whisked to a new universe and - _

He stopped that train of thought before the scars also started hurting.

Merlin blinked, shaken and silently crying. His siblings were there, in the fire, surely _dead_ now.

Now what? Ichigo would have to take care of five children, all that was left of the settlement that had been his home for _years_, loving him and giving him another chance, a chance he took and grabbed, now shredded with the crackling, mocking flames.

Salazar had a pet snake – and maybe several more secluded somewhere Ichigo wasn't aware of – and loving parents. Had. Past tense. Had.

Rowena cried with Salazar, no longer the composed girl her older sister dotted, composure would have to wait a few hours.

Godric brawled, always an emotional one, saying things that Ichigo probably should call him off for saying, but Ichigo couldn't bring himself to. Later when the flames died, then he would. But now…

Ichigo hugged them close, trying without speaking because he didn't trust his voice, saying, _I know it's not okay, might not be okay for years, I know, I was there, but you're not alone. You hear me? Not alone. That's what's important. Not alone like I was. You have someone. _

He was sure it was raining in his mind, but the hollow and Zangetsu didn't say anything. Didn't complain. Ichigo thanked them for that.

* * *

**I should be working on NaNoWriMo, but the last few hundred words for today can wait a few hours.**

**Thank you tahaku and urs-v for the support! Guardian and Redone are still going to stick around.**

**I should stop telling myself that I'm not going to write in this universe until December. It simply isn't going to happen apparently.**

**~dorandsugar**

**[EDIT] Ah, stupid me, Ichigo exaggerating about the years bit. Otherwise this makes no sense if you go back to the first few chapters about Ichiog finding the founders. He just found the settlement and lived there for maybe three-four years. I don't know how old the wizards and witches are in this chapter. Ichigo just calls everyone children. meh, maybe I should get more sleep. **


	29. Naive Four-Year-Olds With Machine Guns

**Reminder, Hogwarts Ichigo is Ichigo Kurosaki or just Ichigo and Bleach Ichigo is Kurosaki Ichigo or just Kurosaki.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

* * *

Ichigo huffed and shook his head. "Nope, you still don't have it. You're not imagining it right, your reiatsu shouldn't be a blade per say yet, just coat your arm in reiatsu. It's like forming and holding a Getsuga Tensho, just much smaller and not through Zangetsu."

"It's harder than you're making it to be."

Ichigo raised an eyebrow. "You don't think I know? In actuality, you have it easier; I had to figure this all out by myself. Now shut up and concentrate."

The much younger Kurosaki Ichigo complied, holding out his right arm, but still grumbled, "You know we suck at reiatsu control. And Uryu doesn't need to do this with his body alone, he has his quincy cross thing. Can't I use something like that?"

Ichigo stared at him, eyebrow still raised, as if he was trying to figure out the best way to teach a naïve four-year-old how to man and take care of a machine gun. Actually, that was close comparison of what was going on, considering the younger substitute shinigami's abysmal reiatsu control. Finally he deadpanned, "When you get into a fight, you come straight from your body and fight with your soul. Your _soul_. It won't have any handy dandy adapter for you to use since it's a bloody shinigami and not a _quincy_."

"And it still sounds weird to hear my voice with an English accent."

"Got an issue you little whippersnapper? And what did I tell you about concentrating?"

"Yeah, yeah."

"Has anyone told you that you're a real cocky brat?"

Finally Kurosaki gave up on trying learning the technique. His threw his hands into the air and rounded on the older man. "How am I supposed to concentrate when you _keep talking_?"

Ichigo shrugged. "Sure, it's totally not like your enemies aren't going to try their damn hardest to distract you in a battle. Nope, they're just going to stand to the side and say to themselves, 'Oh, wonder what he's doing without his zanpakuto, it sure is pretty.'"

Kurosaki was still glaring at Ichigo. Which both of them had yet to get used to, despite knowing each other for several years now; the older man coming by to visit every once in a while, mostly during the summer. Huffing, Kurosaki ran a hand through his hair. All this training was frying his brain from the mental effort. For example, right now he was starting to feel very light headed and woozy. Groaning, Kurosaki asked Ichigo, "Do you want to stay for dinner? You know mom and the girls would love it."

* * *

**Beep Boop,**

**~dorandsugar**


End file.
